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On Saturday, October 29, 2016, Al Tompkins, senior faculty for Broadcast and Online at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, presented The Poynter Sensemaking Summit for Journalists in Columbus, Ohio. Following are highlights from his message:

The four critical questions journalists need to ask on every assignment are:

What do we KNOW?

What do we NEED to know?

HOW do we know what we know?

HOW else could we look at this?

I. Making Sense of Medical and Scientific Studies:

BioMedCentral is an open access, for-pay publisher of scientific articles.

Who did the pollster talk with? Were these the "right" people for the topic?

What did the pollster ask?

How big was the sample? When did the poll occur? How did they conduct the survey?

A confident lead must be 2x the margin of error (to get a 1,000 completed sample, pollsters may have to call 20,000 numbers).

Weighting-some pollsters "weight" samples to represent a population when there is a shortage of participants. They may also weight a sample to save time and money.

The Social Desirability Index:

Respondents tend to tell pollsters what they think is "socially desirable." As a result, polls sometimes overestimate support for minority, female candidates, while underestimating other controversial candidates that may seem socially "undesirable."

Change the lead. Transform a minor character into a major character as a writing exercise.

Change the point of view.

Silent Socratic Dialogue: with a partner. Collaborate with a fellow writer. Each of you writes about your particular writing project, and your goals, for a defined time (five, ten minutes, etc.). Exchange notebooks. Partners write down questions about what the other aims to accomplish. Trade notebooks again and write responses to the partner's questions.

Success team and create accountability. Identify several trusted people in your network (both writers and non-writers), who'd be willing to read your work and offer feedback and questions on an ongoing basis.

Funding. As it relates to writing, "fill your well." Use pictures, postcards, etc.; and pair up with a partner. Define a timeline and write down how you perceive the particular images. Trade pictures and repeat the process. Share and learn from your different perspectives.

Write over the top badly. Make it suck. "Give yourself permission to write terrible," says Dr. Clark. "It's ok."

Ticking clock-stakes and conflict. Even with non-fiction there needs to be an element of conflict/suspense. (Dr. Clark recommends watching the classic Western, High Noon, even if you're not a fan of the movie genre).

Using homemade cleaning solutions reflects practices of grandparents and great-grandparents of yesteryear.

Muhlbach highlighted several ingredients, including:

Vinegar. It's great for cleaning windows, along with crinkled newspaper to create a streak-free shine. Combine vinegar with dishwashing liquid (which acts as a binder) to make an effective alternative to Round-Up for killing weeds. Also use it to clean stone, marble, and granite counter/table tops.

Baking Soda. Poke holes in the lid of a small Mason jar and use it as a shaker to freshen musty smelling shoes and other areas. Combine baking soda with vinegar and use as an alternative to Drano.

Castille Soap. Make a solution with water and use as an insectiside. Muhlbach recommends Dr. Bronner's Unscented Baby Mild, available at Target. "It's expensive but goes a long way," he says. Castille soap is also available at Ohio-based Drug Mart.

Essential oils (which range in price from 5$ to $20) provide many benefits. Peppermint oil acts as an allergen for mice and other rodents. Muhlbach suggests reading books on the topic to discover their versatility.

Muhlbach offered these cleaning tips:

Allow dusted areas to settle 10-15 minutes before vacuuming.

Change furnace filters frequently.

Clean cutting boards with vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide (as a second rinse).

Buy cleaning rags made of microfibers, economically available at discount and dollar stores.

Visit America Recycles Day to customize your individual or organizational approach to this annual recycling celebration (and remember to join in the Recycling Twitter Chat on November12, and take a recycling "selfie").

September 29, 2014

On Tuesday, September 16, the Cuyahoga County Master Recycler Class 2014 hosted a panel of eight representatives to discuss how their organization repurposes discarded materials, which would otherwise be landfill-bound:

The Cleveland Furniture Bank (CFB) works with 216 agencies within six Northeast Ohio counties, to provide furniture, clothes, and other household items to individuals and families in need. Domestically abused women and homeless veterans are two of the organization's biggest benefactors. Stringent state guidelines and annual, state, spot inspections help guarantee bug-free, usable product.

CFB's Beds for Kids program buys a new bed and mattress for a child with each $100.00 donation.

Cleveland Kids in Need Resource Center, founded in 2001, serves 250 schools in Cuyahoga County. The center collects excess or discontinued products such as outdated posters (turned over to become poster board), company t-shirts (used as gym shirts, art smocks, or field trip uniforms), and miscellaneous promotional items (student rewards for good performance) and donates the items to local schools. This win-win benefits disadvantaged students and prevents unwanted goods from ending up in a landfill. Licensed teachers can learn how they can "shop" at the center by visiting their website.

Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio, Inc. Goodwill (a non-profit entity), operates second-hand stores that ultimately benefit job seekers, by providing vocational assessments and evaluations. Job skills training includes computer classes and job coaching services. Its Computers Again program diverts computers and other electronics from landfills and refurbishes them into functional equipment for low income individuals and non-profit groups. Goodwill also provides parenting skills education, literacy, and financial workshops too.

The Food Bank operates a community food distribution center; and turns every dollar donated into four meals. Food and money donations, and volunteers drive the organization.

MedWish partners with area hospitals, clinics, and manufacturers to recover usable medical surplus from their operations. The humanitarian aid organization donates the supplies to third world countries-everything from ambulances to tongue depressors.

Rustbelt Reclamation utilizes locally sourced, 100 percent upcycled materials to custom design and fabricate commercial and residential superior furniture. The company can make the furniture look reclaimed or not look reclaimed, depending on client needs.

Upcycle Parts Shop Cleveland offers affordable art supplies, stocking pieces, parts, nuts, and bolts that have fulfilled their original purpose and now seek to be transformed and repurposed into something beautiful and useful. The store offers classes and workshops; and works with area businesses, schools, museums, corporations, and individuals to collect and repurpose their unwanted materials, thus preventing otherwise landfill-bound waste.

ZeroLandfill Cleveland is an award-winning upcycling program that originated in Northeast Ohio in 2006; and now operates in numerous other cities. Zerolandfill project partners with area architects and the interior design community to identify and divert over 1 million pounds of expired specification samples (ex: carpet tiles and books, upholstery swatches, three ring binders) from landfills. Artists and art teachers attend local events to claim the complimentary materials to use in classrooms or creative projects.

Northeast Ohio residents passionate about recycling, can contact the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District to learn more about its nine-week Master Recycler program. The next class begins August, 2015.

One Man's Journey opens with " What Comes Next?" Leblang says, "I've always been a late bloomer." At 54, he realizes he'll never be the well-known actor he imagined decades ago, nor will he have the boyfriend of his dreams during his thirties or forties. Despite his historical 4-month-long relationships, Leblang optimistically searches for his lifelong partner.

"What a Fellowhship!" pays tribute to Leblang's childhood house cleaning lady, and adoptive godmother, Donna, who died nearly a decade ago.

Leblang reenacts speaking at Donna's son, Lonny's memorial service, who died in August 1995 of a heart attack. He describes himself as being the only "pinkish, gay, Jewish man" among the cocoa and dark brown-skinned church attendees.

The pastor preached the importance to "get right with Jesus;" and said the number one abomination occurring in the world was that "men are laying with men."

Afraid to tell Donna about his homosexuality, afterwards, she said, "That's just the way the Lord made you, and he don't make no mistakes." She revealed she'd known about his sexuality since he was 13 years old.

Pictured: Judah Leblang

"Voices in My Heart" reflects common perceptions held within the gay community, including an aversion to aging, which Leblang likens to face boils.

Any gay male who's experienced Provincetown (P-Town), Massachussettes, and its Adonis bodies atmosphere, can relate to Leblang's longing to be noticed in his newly purchased blue tank top. Strutting down popular Commercial Street, 51 year-old Leblang straightens his shoulders, and puffs out his chest, in what feels like "My New Training Bra," as he lusts for men a decade younger.

Despite Leblang's midlife challenges, he acknowledges that life is getting better. "I sweat the small stuff a little less."

Eight years ago Leblang noticed hearing loss in one ear and consulted an audiologist. The experience inspired "Echoes of Jerry," which describes Leblang's Uncle Jerry and the fragility of life. Jerry, born deaf, died in 1974 at the age of 44 from a heart attack. Leblang remembers Jerry dancing to Aretha Franklin's "Respect" at his bat mitzvah. Six months later his uncle died.

Leblang exposes his deepest desires in "Alone Again, Naturally:" and warns the audience of his forthcoming revelations.

"Do you want to hear this?' he asks. " Do you need to?"

Leblang longs for more than his recent three nights he experienced in Washington, D.C. with Matt, a "friend with benefits" he met five years ago during the first Obama Rally.

Matt's catholic guilt trumps his ability to love Leblang the way he needs. As Leblang watches Matt sleep, he recalls their intimacy just hours ago; and feels disappointed and frustrated with their limited romantic connection. Leblang's emotions are raw and reeling, "like a mosquito to a bug zapper." Regarding true love, he says, " I wonder if I'll ever find it."

One Man's Journey concludes with, "Table for One." where Leblang self-consciously dines alone. He explains to an uninterested waiter why he's dining solo, excuses which include his boyfriend serving time in prison for white collar crime, anxiously awaiting their reunion.

In closing, Leblang asks "Has the fat lady sung?," Has the game been called because of rain?"

One Man's Journey is a testament to humanity and its continual search for love, sex, and self-acceptance.

Anyone (gay or straight) who experiences Leblang's well-crafted play, will relate to its themes and leave the venue feeling enriched and entertained.

The Dead Will Tell is Castillo's sixth murder mystery featuring Kate Burkholder, a thirty-something chief of police in the fictional town of Painters Mill, Ohio.

Kate is a thirty-something, former Amish woman, who left the order at 18, carrying the dark secret of her brutal rape when she was 14 years old. She pursued a career in law enforcement; and returned to her home town to fight crime, amidst much consternation from locals who disapprove of her religious rebellion.

Ohio-born Castillo now resides in Texas on a cattle ranch with her husband. She returns annually to her birth state to promote her latest book. Readers with Northeast Ohio ties enjoy a special affinity for her well-written books, recognizing such areas as Cleveland and Richfield, Ohio in her narratives.

Castillo says her latest book, "The Dead Will Tell," is her grittiest book yet in the Kate Burkholder series, combining mystery, police procedure, and ghostly elements.

She prides herself on juxtapostioning the bucolic lifestyle perception of the Amish with brutal crimes.

Castillo graduated from two citizen police academies and experienced Amish culutre first-hand, which enables her to authenticate her stories.

Book seven in the Kate Burkholder series is about 50 pages from completion says Castillo; and she encourages fans to look for its release next summer.

Castillo teased fans during her talk, promising to blow readers away with her ideas brewing for her eigth Kate Burkholder book.

On Tuesday January 14, 2014, Adam Jenke, tech trainer for the Cleveland Public Library (CPL) conducted a primer class on 3D printing at the Lorain Avenue Branch.

3D printing is an additive process as opposed to derivative. Solid objects are created from various materials based on a 3D digital design. Rather than cut away at materials (CNC machines), 3D printing produces physical objects by adding layers of materials; which produces less waste.

As 3D printing evolves, it's becoming easier, more affordable and more accessible to the masses. Prints can range from artistic to functional, based on the user's creativity and needs. Its uses include:

prototyping and distributed manufacturing

architecture

construction (AEC)

industrial design

automotive

aerospace

military

engineering/civil engineering

dental/medical industries

biotech (human tissue replacement)

fashion, footwear, jewelry, eyewear

education

geographic information systems

food

The density, size, and intricacy of an object determines the time needed to print.

Much of the 3D printing movement is part of a large network of programmers, artists, and creators who openly share intellectual property (free, open source software), with the goal of technological and community growth.

3Dprinting at CPL is cheap and easy. The printer accepts STL (Stereo lithography) files. These can be created in applications such as SketchUp or downloaded from websites listed below. The files can be emailed to TechCentral staff or brought in person.

Jenke described two kinds of 3D printers:

PLA Plastic-Based. Uses biodegradable plastics. A spool of plastic costs 40$ to $60 and can last up to a year.

ABS Plastic-Based. Uses a non-biodegradable plastic, which is also harder to work with.

The cost of 3D printing at CPL is $0.05 per gram of plastic. CPL supplies the printer and plastic. You supply the model. Most prints do not exceed $5.00.

CPL also has one 3D printer manufactured by Beachwood Ohio-based MakerGear, a business dedicated to advancing digital fabrication and rapid prototype production for individuals and companies. Currently, the company only provides online customer service chat.

3D printing resources inlcude:

Thingiverse-search and download 3D models and download them for printing.

While geared toward women, men can also benefit from Hunt's money knowledge, honed after accumulating over $100,000 in debt earlier in life; and taking 13 years to eradicate.

Hunt explains the differences between men and women when it comes to finances. She believes women have more of a need for financial security than men.

She compares saving for retirement to using a slow cooker (crock pot) to prepare meals.

A crock pot allows you to add basic ingredients early in the cooking process, cover, and let simmer for hours, to produce a delicious meal.

Producing a bountiful retirement can be thought of as learning the basics of investing, making initial investments and allowing them to mature over time.

Yes, the markets will fluctuate, but it's the long-term effect of leaving your money untouched that is apt to produce the biggest financial rewards (much like not constantly lifting the slow cooker lid to check if the food is done).

Hunt discusses a variety of financial topics in her easy to read new book, including:

2 irrational questions that can get resistant people to change their behavior.

Read To Sell Is Human and also learn:

The new ABCs of selling.

Creative ways to pitch.

How to improvise.

The importance of serving.

Each of the easy read, user-friendly chapters ends with eye-opening exercises to help you experience the information first-hand. Pink also includes additional book suggestions to help your ability to sell, both at home and the work place.

For additional perspective on Dan Pink's "To Sell Is Human," visit To Sell Is Human book reviews. The link features seven book reviews detailing Pink's entire message to help you master the art of selling in 2014.